Verizon Long Distance to Celebrate the Contributions of Hispanic Baseball Heroes at the Ballpark at Arlington

DALLAS -- America's national pastime, baseball, is a hit around the world. But it's hotter than a jalapeño in the Caribbean, and in South and Central America.

On Cinco de Mayo eve, Verizon Long Distance will recognize the contributions of the growing cadre of Hispanic baseball players in the U.S. by honoring19 Hispanic Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox players and coaches on Friday during a special pre-game ceremony at the Ballpark in Arlington. Juan Marichal, the first Hispanic and only Dominican Republic native named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, also will be on honored for his special place in baseball history.

"Verizon Long Distance wants to acknowledge the important role that Hispanics have played in improving the game and building our Texas Rangers team," said Ed Miller, director of international and ethnic marketing, Verizon Long Distance. "We are thrilled to have Juan Marichal join us for the recognition ceremony. The game is a double-header for us, allowing us to support current, past and players-to-be through the Ranger Foundation's baseball camps while we also help three deserving youngsters with some college costs."

During the pre-game festivities, Verizon Long Distance will award $1,000 college scholarships to three Sunset High School seniors -- Perla Bernal, Gabriela Ortiz, and Michelle Rodriguez. The students are winners of Verizon Long Distance's "Excellence in Communications," essay contest. The students wrote about how technology can improve and impact their lives.

In addition, Verizon Long Distance will donate $5,000 to the Texas Rangers Foundation and will give away a special "Héroes de Béisbol" (Baseball Heroes) commemorative poster to everyone attending the game.

A Verizon PhoneMart employee will throw out the first pitch.

Rangers and White Sox players being recognized on Friday hail from the United States and Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela. This is the second time that Verizon Long Distance has dedicated a night at the ballpark to honor the contributions of Hispanic baseball players.

Verizon Long Distance carries calls from the United States to the Caribbean and Central and South America. Besides offering long-distance service to those regions, affiliates of Verizon Long Distance provide local telecommunications services in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with nearly 109 million access line equivalents and more than 27.5 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the world's largest provider of print and online directory information. A Fortune 10 company with approximately 260,000 employees and more than $63 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.